SECURING THE FUTURE: CONFERENCE AIMS TO EDUCATE, BRING TOGETHER THOSE WORKING IN CYBERSECURITY

MANHATTAN -- A cybersecurity consortium that includes a Kansas State University component will host a conference focusing on both business and academic facets of security issues.

CyberSeP's first Mid-America Cybersecurity Conference, "Cybersecurity: Challenges, Opportunities and Collaboration," will be Oct. 26-27 at K-State Olathe. Registration for the conference is $225 and includes continental breakfast, lunch and snacks. Early registration for $200 ends Sept. 30. To register, visit http://www.cybersep.org/macc/.

CyberSeP is a strategic alliance between K-State, National Technical Systems, National Quality Assurance, CABEM Technologies, the K-State Institute for Commercialization and Knowledge Based Economic Development, a Manhattan-based company that is a unique partnership between K-State, university-related entities and the area's leading economic development agencies.

Pointing to a dramatic increase in the number of cyber attacks in the past 10 years, President Barack Obama's administration has proposed legislation to protect the nation's computer networks. The proposal authorizes the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to coordinate with the private sector as well as state and local governments to monitor critical infrastructure, including electricity grids, financial markets and transportation networks.

At the conference, senior executives and information technology security leaders from industry, government and academia will discuss the state of cybersecurity today, as well as the techniques, technologies and cooperative efforts that can be leveraged to enhance security.

Beyond business and academics, the conference will also focus on network security, research paper presentations, application security, teaching cybersecurity, security in the university system, cloud computing, best practice panels, forensics, and power and energy.

Sixteen speakers are scheduled to present over the course of the conference on a variety of topics, including: